Fish Decapitation Apparatus with Collar Bone Positioning
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing fish decapitating devices face challenges in achieving high yield due to variations in fish size and shape, as well as poor alignment and control during the decapitation process, leading to inefficiencies and reduced processing accuracy.
Innovation Solution
A fish decapitating apparatus with a fish holder featuring opposingly arranged guide members that clamp the fish head behind the collar bones, a measuring unit to determine the collar bone position, and a control unit to automatically adjust the cutting station, ensuring precise and adaptable decapitation. The apparatus includes a carousel conveyor system with V-shaped circular cutting blades for accurate cuts and a back bone cutting station to facilitate head removal.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If a nose stop is used for positioning the fish, then the longitudinal position of the fish can be influenced, but the yield of decapitation is poor due to variations in fish size, shape, and head characteristics
Solution Approach 1:
The fish holder clamps the fish head behind the collar bones before cutting, establishing a stable reference point. The measuring unit measures the position of the collar bones in advance, allowing the control unit to calculate and adjust the optimal cutting position before the actual decapitation occurs, thereby improving both positioning accuracy and decapitation yield
Solution Approach 2:
The measuring unit continuously measures the position of the collar bones, and the control unit uses this feedback information to automatically adjust the cutting station position. This closed-loop control system adapts to variations in fish size and shape, ensuring high yield decapitation for each individual fish
2Area of stationary object
If the fish holder is positioned with the longitudinal axis perpendicular to the conveying direction, then the apparatus becomes less spacious and throughput increases, but the cutting complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The cutting station is designed with automatic position adjustment capability, allowing it to adapt dynamically to the perpendicular fish orientation. The control unit automatically calculates and positions the cutting blades based on measured collar bone positions, making the system flexible enough to handle the perpendicular configuration without increasing overall complexity
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes the operational parameters by measuring collar bone position and automatically adjusting cutting station position based on these measurements. This parameter-based control allows the apparatus to maintain compact dimensions while managing the increased cutting complexity through intelligent positioning
3Productivity
If the conveying apparatus moves continuously, then productivity increases, but the cutting accuracy decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The conveying apparatus operates in periodic cycles, moving the fish holder to the cutting station and then pausing temporarily during the cutting operation. This periodic motion allows accurate cutting to be performed on stationary fish while maintaining overall high throughput through continuous cycling of the conveying process
Solution Approach 2:
The fish is positioned and clamped in the fish holder before conveying to the cutting station. The measuring unit measures the collar bone position in advance, and the control unit pre-positions the cutting station, so that when the fish arrives at the cutting station, all positioning adjustments are already complete, enabling accurate cutting even during the brief pause in conveying
4Device complexity
If manual positioning of the fish is used, then the apparatus is simpler, but the decapitation yield is poor due to lack of control
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs self-positioning and self-adjustment functions. The measuring unit automatically measures the collar bone position, the control unit automatically calculates the optimal cutting position, and the cutting station automatically adjusts its position. This automated self-service approach eliminates the need for manual positioning while achieving high decapitation yield
Solution Approach 2:
Manual mechanical positioning is replaced with an automated measurement and control system. The measuring unit (optical or sensor-based) substitutes for manual visual positioning, and the control unit with automatic position adjustment substitutes for manual mechanical adjustment, thereby improving decapitation yield while maintaining reasonable system complexity
Data Source
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AI summary
This invention a fish decapitating apparatus, where a fish holder is provided configured to receive a fish with the belly side facing up at an in-feed station, at least one cutting station is provided and a conveying apparatus configured to convey the fish in said fish holder from the in-feed station to at least one cutting station. The fish holder includes opposingly arranged guide members moveable in a hinge like manner in relation to each other, the guide members being configured to clamp the fish head behind the collar bones such that the collar bones are resting on an outer side of said guide members in the clamped state with the fish head sticking out from the fish holder, the fish decapitating apparatus further including a measuring device configured to measure the position of the collar bones when being in the clamped position, and a control unit configured to automatically adjust the position of the at least one cutting station during cutting in accordance with the measured position of the collar bones.